


You came this far just to become a Monster

by PrettyFlyShyGuy



Series: C Virus AU [1]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Gen, Infected Characters, Infected Leon S. Kennedy, Resident Evil - Freeform, Resident Evil 6, werewolf trope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:13:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27858901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyFlyShyGuy/pseuds/PrettyFlyShyGuy
Summary: RE6 AU in which Leon becomes infected with the C-Virus, but still tries to stop Carla and Simmons from destroying the world. How do you convince your friends that watched you turn into a cocoon, that its really truly you under all that carapace?
Series: C Virus AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2101077
Comments: 19
Kudos: 64





	1. Injection

**Author's Note:**

> A partial re-write of RE6 based off an AU in which Leon is infected with the C Virus but the events of the game go on. Started with me drawing a bunch of pictures for fun and quickly grew out of hand. For AU related drawings, doodles and 'asks' check out my tumblr - prettyflyshyguy
> 
> I'm very much an amateur writer and I mainly do this for fun, and in the hopes other's enjoy the content too.

"Ada stop! We have to talk!"

Pounding footsteps and heavy breathing echoed through the hallways of the Vinci Medical Research Center. Rounding a corner, Ada flew off with her grapple gun, gracefully landing on the opposite side of an open shipping crate storage room.

"Your friend likes to play hard to get. She always been like this?" Helena had a mixed tone to her voice, one part concern and three parts sarcasm.

"Yeah." Leon puffed as they continued the chase.

"Yeah she's uh, always just like this."

Across the room, the two Agents heard more voices.

"There she is! Cut her off!"

"I've got her!"

Ada was running herself into a trap, the two strangers had approached from two walkways of the room locking her into a corner. She had nowhere to go. A spray of bullets landed at her feet as one of them aggressively approached her from the front. Turning around, she realised the other had caught up to her from behind. They both had military rifles and were cautiously aiming at her as they slowly moved in. She stared them down, her gaze flicking to the larger of the two men as she noticed Leon and Helena quickly approaching from behind him.

In fear she was about to be shot, Leon violently slapped the rifle in the larger man's hands, the shock resulting in him accidentally firing a number of rounds that just missed Ada's head as the sparks rained down from the impacts up the wall. The risky move meant he lost his grip and the rifle flew out of his hands. In a panic he swung a punch towards Leon who quickly ducked out of the way and threw a high kick back. For a few seconds they wrestled, unsure what the outcome would be. Leon ensured a knee to the gut, he caught the stranger in a headlock, ultimately losing to a weight imbalance as he was tackled to the ground. The break in the action allowed both men to draw a sidearm and they raised one at the other almost in sync. Both breathing heavily, they stared at each other for a moment until Leon broke the silence.

"... Chris?"

Confusion and concern immediately crossed Chris's face as he realised who he just kicked the shit out of.

"Leon?"

Quickly glancing at Piers, he was relieved to see he had maintained his focus on Ada in case she tried to slip away in the confusion.

"What are you doing here?"

Helena, who had lagged behind slightly rushed to join the group. Readying her gun but unsure who she should point it at.

A smirk crossed Ada's face, though no one really paid attention to it.

"Put your gun down, Chris." Leon holstered his own.

"She's a key witness, we need her."

"A witness?! She's the one who did all this!" Chris's raised voice and temper shook the walkway they stood upon.

"No, it wasn't her, it was Simmons. The National Security Advisor." Leon tried to explain before being swiftly interrupted.

"I lost all my men because of HER!"

"And I lost over seventy thousand people, including the president, because of Simmons!" Leon raised his to match.

Chris's face softened ever so slightly. There was more going on then he realised. He quickly looked at Ada, who shot him a sickly sweet smile. He went back to Leon, with pain in his eyes.

"She's working for Neo-Umbrella. You know what that means?"

"Yeah, I do." Leon's reply was stern.

"And you're still going to protect her?"

"Yeah, I am."

With half the room's attention not focused on her, it was just enough time and distraction for Ada to let a flashbang gently slip from her hands.

"Captain!"

The other man with Chris, Piers, yelled out as he saw the grenade fall and clack against the metal floor. Leon shot around just as the explosion went off, blinding all four people. As their vision cleared, they could only watch as Ada made her daring escape with her grapple gun.

"She's heading towards the roof! Captain what do you want me to do?" Piers said.

Chris began to stride towards him when Leon made him stop by placing a hand gently on his chest.

"Chris I need to talk to her."

In his eyes there was desperation. Chris could tell how important this was to him.

"Leon what the hell is going on? I lost my whole squad but Piers because of her. Do you know how much damage she's caused?"

The pain in his voice was obvious, Leon couldn't imagine what he had gone through.

"I don't know what she's done, but I need her alive. Make her face justice for what she did to your men, they deserve that."

"Just give me five minutes, that's all I need. Please." Leon continued.

Chris nodded, the pain in his eyes was clear to see but Leon's reasoning had won him over.

"If anything happens though, I'm interrupting."

"Thanks Chris, I owe you one." Leon smiled at him, though there was a somber touch to his expression. He had no idea the pain and damage Ada had caused Chris, yet something didn't feel right.

"You owe me way more than just One." Chris scoffed as he walked over to Piers, and started discussing the plan of attack for apprehending Ada.

"You sure you can trust her?"

Leon turned back to Helena, she looked a mixture of dead serious and concerned.

"We have history together, I'll be ok."  
Leon and Chris stood on opposite sides of the door leading to a balcony on the roof of the building. Quietly, they exchanged nods, and Leon opened the door while Chris stayed behind out of sight. Through luck and good timing, Ada was there, and she was walking towards the railing.

"Ada wait!"

She glanced over her shoulder, watching carefully as Leon slowly raised his arms indicating he was unarmed.

"I just want to talk. Just five minutes, please."

A bemused look crossed her face, and with a smirk she responded "Fine, but I'll be counting the minutes."

Turning once again with her back to him, she placed a briefcase up onto the balcony railing, opened it and began to shuffle around with its contents. Not willing to push his luck, with the added string of the flashbang incident that happened moments earlier, he opted to keep a comfortable distance from her. Hoping she will amuse him for just long enough to shine some light on what the hell is going on.

"Is it true? Are you really working for Neo Umbrella? For Simmons?"

A dry laugh pierced the cold night's sky.

"You know the old saying, 'Some men just want to watch the world burn'? Well," she giggled slightly, "Some women want to watch it burn too." There was a venom in her voice. A venom unlike anything he'd ever heard from her before. The puzzle pieces in his mind started to come together, and the five minutes he had were ticking away. The dramatic shift in outfit, in behaviour, in personality, in motive...

"Who are you really?"

She froze with her back to him, she visibly stiffened.

"I'm Ada Wong."

"No, no you're not."

Slowly turning to face him, he felt a slight shiver hit him as her piercing stare shot through him.

"Yes, I am."

Before he had a chance to react, she had pulled a gun out of the briefcase behind her. Something cold pierced his neck with a sharp pain, he reflectively backed up as he yanked a syringe out of his neck.

"I was saving that one for Simmons but I think it suits you better."

As he fell to his knees in pain, his body stiffening, dark veins growing across his skin, he watched as she carefully closed the briefcase and prepared her grapple.

"You're no better than the rest of them."

The last thing he heard from her was a light laughter that drifted on the wind as she zipped down the side of the building.

Knowing he only had a few seconds, losing motor control and a panic state growing, he struggled to retrieve his communicator, speed dialing Helena.

"Hey did you get a chance to-"

"Helena I don't have much time, that woman is not Ada, she shot me with a-"

She could only watch as he screamed while the flames engulfed his body, and the videofeed shut off due to him dropping the device or the sheer power of the heat.

Her hand started to shake as she gripped the communicator tighter.

'Signal Lost' blinked over and over, barely masking the freeze frame of Leon engulfed in fire behind it. She should have gone with him. She should have done something. After everything he did for her, after everything they've been through, after how much he trusted her when he had no reason to, she let him down like this. Like Deborah. Like everyone. She had no one left but herself now. Channeling the white hot anger that boiled inside her, she focused on the thought of Simmons. He caused all of this.

He will pay for it all.

Not giving her time to overthink it, she took off towards the Kwun Lung building, it wasn't too far away and it was her last shot at taking down Simmons. She knew he would be there, the intel from the Agent that Leon knew was solid. She would just have to do it alone. Like she always had.

"I won't forget what you did for me, and Deborah. I swear I will never forget." She choked back tears as she gave one final glance at her communicator, before flicking the screen off.

By the time Chris realised what had happened it was too late. He kicked the door open and readied his rifle, but the flash of heat and fire before him caused a flinch.

Through the fumes and the flickering he caught a glimpse of Ada swinging off the edge railing of the balcony and plunging down the side of the building. Everything happened so fast.

His eyes shot back to where the fire was. A glistening, green cocoon forming in its place.

The panic crept up on him. It started with a feeling in the pit of his stomach. It rose to his head and hands. He started to shake. His head feet light, things start to become a blur. His breathing hastened.

Chris knew what was coming. Not again. Not this soon. Not Leon.

He shoved himself into the doorframe for support. It was hard to breathe. The fumes and stink of burnt clothes and whatever biological matter the cocoon was didn't help. He stared at the floor as he focused on each breath. In and out. In and out.

"Captain, captain what's going on? Captain!"

Pier's voice pulled him back.

"Fuck, FUCK."

He shot one last glance at the cocoon. He was too late again. He was always too late.

"He's gone Piers. Leon's gone."

His voice trembled almost as much as his hand did as he responded into the radio. He started sprinting down the staircase. Away from the balcony. Away from the cocoon. Away from whatever's going to come out of it. Away so he wouldn't have to face it. Not again.

Pier's was ready with a military vehicle. As soon as Chris jumped in he punched the accelerator and the car screeched off.

"She took off towards the port, I've already alerted all other units in the area."

He flicked a glance at Chris, seeing the strain in his face as he fought back tears.

"I promise we'll get her. I won't stop until we do."


	2. Crysalis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Could be worse!

The night air was still, in the distance the sound of helicopters and sirens blaring was the only thing to disturb this empty side of the city, evacuation of all citizens long passed. The orange haze of distant lights and fires lit up the otherwise cloudy dark sky. The crack of crystalline and resin structure splitting broke the silence atop the Research Centre. A cocoon spilled out of the split in the hardened shell, flowing and bulbing and wriggling out as something churned and shifted beneath the surface. Rapidly the form of a figure started to appear, breaking free, reaching upwards towards the sky until it slipped and fell backwards. It flopped onto the concrete with the grace of a beached whale, and slid a few meters back.

His lungs kicked into overdrive, gulping deep breaths of air to combat the fear, disorientation and adrenaline that shot through his body. Everything was dark, his eyelids felt glued shut. He was hot, too hot, why was he so hot. 

Crudely wiping whatever was gunking up his eyes, he began to take stock of the situation. He quickly scanned the area, he was alone.

Except for the cocoon.

_‘Shit-’_

He instinctively tried calling out but a faint rasp was the most he could muster as he scrambled away still on the ground. He reached for his sidearm holster.

Except it wasn't there.

He felt cold concrete on his back, he pushed into it. It was the only thing he knew was real. It was tangible. He looked back towards the cocoon, a trail of viscous liquid stretched between it and himself. He sat there, frozen. Eyes fixed on the cocoon. Tracing its outline, the way it looked like a figure reaching forward. Forward towards something small that reflected the light, sitting just out of reach of the cocoon on the ground. The huge, gaping split down the back that the trail of fluid lead away from. 

Perhaps if he was able to sit completely still he wouldn't be able to feel any of it. The fluid dripping down his hair, into his eyes. The way his arms felt too long. The way his skin felt too tough. The way he felt wrong.

Except he hadn’t forgotten what happened. It was his cocoon. 

His heart rate shot up, he started breathing faster shorter breaths. 

Leon wasn't particularly afraid of much. He tackled any new situation he was thrust into pretty well, actually. Like his brief time as a cop back in Racoon City when the first outbreak of the T-virus happened. Evicting the ‘monster under the bed’ when he’d babysit Sherry when she was younger. Being injected with a parasite egg by a twisted cult in Europe. Accepting Claire’s challenge of who could eat the most hot cross buns last Easter.

The cocoon in front of him made him afraid.

He focused on his breathing, slowing them down, taking in more air in each breath. His pulse began to calm.

A minute or two had gone by before he realised it was getting cold. The exothermic reaction of the cocoon process had ended quite some time ago and he was no longer receiving the benefits. If you could even call them that.

He thought about it again.

‘Ah. That’s right. The cocoon process.’

His memories were intact up until a point, he remembered the flames and how he tried to scream. He remembered the sensation of his skin boiling. He remembered his joints seizing up and everything going dark. The only person he’s seen come out of a cocoon looking ‘normal’ was Ada, but she must be different. Some kind of twisted facsimile that Simmons cooked up. The Ada Wong that infected him was surely not the real deal, at least he hoped.

Ultimately there were only two choices in his current situation. Continue to stare in abject horror at the cocoon or instead, stare in abject horror at whatever it did to him.

Sharply inhaling, he slowly let his gaze fall from the cocoon to his feet. 

At least the assumption was that they were his feet. They looked more structurally like primates but with thick leathery scales or plating running along down from his legs. Not to mention the claws.

‘Ok. Could be worse.’

‘Time to try standing up.’ he thought.

He shuffled into a kneeling position and placed his hands out in front of him on a bare patch of concrete that wasn't covered in goop. Thankfully they still resembled human hands. Just with more scales and claws. 

‘Could be worse.’

Very slowly, with plenty of weight on his hands, he attempted to figure out how to stand up. He quickly realised his feet were more comfortable with weight being fully placed on the toes. Like a dinosaur. Maybe he could get a job as a monster in the next Jurassic Park film. In trying to find a silver lining the brief mental distraction meant he almost toppled over, as his legs were quite shaky. Using the wall behind him for stability, he found he was able to stand comfortably if he bent his knees slightly more than he was used to. 

Carefully, despite wobbling significantly, he made his way without the aid of a wall towards and around the cocoon, to where he had dropped his communicator after Ada… Fake-Ada, had infected him.

He knelt down and gently picked it up, praying that maybe somehow the flames hadn’t damaged it beyond working. The glass screen was cracked. It was unresponsive. 

_‘Fuck.’_

He had no way of contacting Helena. No way of telling her that actually he’s ok. He had left her to run after Ada and now she’s out there, alone, up against Simmons and his personal security army after everything-

_‘FUCK.’_

He was so stupid, he let his personal feelings get in the way when he should have just let Chris handle it-

He froze.

‘Chris was just outside the door when it happened. He probably saw the cocoon-’

His thoughts were interrupted as the glass of the communicator shattered as it hit the ground. His stomach convulsed as he began to throw up. He hadn’t eaten in hours but the acid burned away at his throat nonetheless. Tears started to well up in his eyes. The full gravity of the situation hit, everything he put his friends through, everything that’s happened to him. What would happen if he finds them again? Would they recognise him? Would they shoot him? Would he even find them? What if something else found him first?

Shoving all that aside, he pulled himself back into the moment. There was nothing he could do for either Chris or Helena if he just sat here, and the risk of a military cleanup unit passing overhead and seeing him was not one he was willing to bargain on.

* * *

The balcony door, left open, creaked slightly as the ocean breeze drifted through the city. It would have been nice if not for the smoke and the eeriness of the place left cold and empty. It didn’t take Leon long to find an apartment that had an unlocked door or window, long forgotten about. The infection came with its advantages, namely making it much easier for him to traverse buildings vertically which meant he avoided streets with military patrols, Ja’vo or worse. Cautiously searching, in case he wasn't alone, he swept through each room quickly before entering the bathroom. The sludge that was left over from the cocoon had started to try like mud all over him, a shower might help relieve the stress. Closing the door and looking around, he caught a brief glimpse of his full figure in the bathroom mirror. He turned away sharply, not ready to tackle that just yet, instead focusing on the uncomfortable fact he could see very clearly despite not turning the light on yet. Once again trying to find something he could root himself too, he sunk his feet into the softness of the bathmat. The cold of the tiles. 

He leaned with both arms either side of the basin. 

‘Please don’t throw up again.’ he thought.

Without giving himself time to chicken out of it he flicked his head upwards and stared dead on into the mirror.

‘Could be worse.’

His face was still somewhat recognisable, it might have been even more if he didn’t have two mandibles protruding from both his top and bottom jaw each, beginning near his ears and wrapping comfortably around his face. He was able to see them in his peripheral vision so far but preferred to pretend they didn’t exist. Forced to reckon with it now, he toyed around to determine what level of control he had, if any. The top two folded up neatly alongside his cheeks and the clawed tip bent downwards towards his mouth, while the bottom ones extended along his jawline and pointed up at his chin. More concerningly in each corner of his lips there was a line, almost like a split that ran up his cheeks either side. Tentatively he flexed his jaw and opened his mouth slightly he snapped it shut upon seeing canines that were probably a little too long. Among other teeth that probably weren't there before. At least the BSAA had good dental.

Examining the rest, the same plate scales, more like chitin or carapace, ran up his arms, legs and back. Splits down the sides of his arms and legs had more normal softer skin along with his chest, although these including his face were still stricken with splits and scarring in the skin. Much like how Deborah, Helena’s sister, looked after she emerged from her cocoon. At this point he noticed something shifting behind him, twisting slightly revealing in the mirror a set of thin spines that ran down his back. They twitched and shifted higher the more he stared at them, the more his heart rate elevated.

Not bothering to turn on any lights still, he shoved himself into the shower and doused himself in water as once again, he felt his heart rate climb. 

Sinking down to the floor he leant on his knees and pushed his fingers into his hair as the water enveloped him. 

‘It could be worse. It could be worse. It could be worse. It could be worse?? I’m a BOW now I’m a fucking BOW I’m a bio organic weapon I’m a B O W I’M-’

Pulling his hands down his hair and over his face, he took a deep breath to try and calm himself.

‘Ok this is bad, but you’ve been through worse Leon.’ he considered.

He stared blankly for a moment.

‘Ok maybe you haven't been through worse but at least this time you’re in control of yourself. No mind control parasite cults involved. Look on the bright side.’

He looked down at his feet and the water swirling endlessly into the drain.

‘You’ve traumitised Helena right after the same thing happened to her sister, you have no way of contacting anyone for help, and even if you did, you have no guarantee they won’t just try and kill you.’

He slowly looked up. His entire face, mandibles included, drooped as the water cascaded down.

Pressing his hands into his face and leaning back he let out a deep, long groan while he internally wished he could just scream. God knows if he did, if it would even sound human still. 

Debora’s wails and cries still echoed in his mind. Recognisably human in origin but alien and twisted. Would he sound like that too? Like a monster?

* * *

The water started to run cold. 

He still had his mind intact, that meant he could still help. There were bigger things at stake. He’d never given up in the face of hardship before, and this was just a new challenge. He knew he had to find Helena, at very least. 

With a spur of energy, he stood up in confidence. He borrowed a towel and dried himself off. In the midst of scrubbing his hair down he had the uncomfortable realisation that he had lost all his clothes due to everything that had happened, and technically he was completely buck naked. Absolutely refusing to parade around without at very least, a nice pair of pants, he quietly apologised to whoever lived in the apartment as he rifled through their clothes, hoping with a stroke of luck he’d find something in his size. 

Everything was too small.

Begrudgingly accepting fate, he sighed deeply and prayed that he wouldn't run into anyone he knew before getting a chance to make himself look slightly more human again. He returned to the bathroom, at least he could fix his hair.

* * *

Maybe this wasn’t so bad. ‘Mission objective: obtain pants’ gave him ample opportunity to get more comfortable in his own skin again. It was like learning to walk but you’re leaping between broken buildings instead. He wouldn't admit it, but he was greatly enjoying the feeling of freedom that it brought. The streets were quiet, but there were enough BOW’s haphazardly roaming here and there to warrant caution. Not just the usual shambling zombies, but a range of the strange things he’d seen since arriving in China. He was confident he could take them in a fight, but didn’t want to waste time, or risk serious injury. All he had was his physical attributes and he was much more comfortable with a knife in a situation like this. He never had beaten Chris in a one on one spar before, he thought it wise to not get cocky. 

Crossing a few blocks, he could hear some noises unlike the usual groans of zombies on the street bellow. Carefully peering down from a broken window two stories up, he could see a small military unit below. There were five of them, probably BSAA but he couldn't see for sure. Coincidentally they were on a main street lined with storefronts. From the mannequins still in the windows Leon could see some were for clothes. 

The last thing he wanted was to get in a fight with armed military units, especially not the BSAA who were still evacuating survivors. He watched carefully as one he assumed to be the team leader called out orders, and the five split up and wandered further down the street and inside nearby buildings. With silence and grace, when he was confident they were far enough away or out of sight, he vaulted over the windowsill and quickly scaled the wall down, bolting for the clothes store across the road. Thankfully the door was broken and left wide open, no need to make excess noise or breaking in.

Breathing a sigh of relief as he slinked over to the pants rack on the wall, he quickly found his size pulled a pair down, shuffling and first getting one leg in so as to not lose balance. 

He froze when he heard the faint sound of a shaky voice, coming from the open door.

“... Hello? Is anyone there?”

The light of a torch flashed over the store, sweeping around until it landed on Leon. Who stood there frozen, awkwardly with one leg in the jeans he had selected.

The source of the voice also stood there frozen, looking at him. They were with the BSAA, that much was clear now as they were only a matter of meters away from him. He could see the sweat on their face, the gun aimed directly at him quivered slightly. The fear and confusion in their face painted them clearly as a rookie. Poor bastard, he thought. 

No training prepares you for the real experience of standing face to face with a BOW, let alone one that appeared to be stealing jeans. 

Leon’s mind raced a mile a minute. Was it worth running? Would he make it to cover without being shot? Would he more likely simply trip and fall because he has one leg in the pants and one not?

A horrible, terrible idea crossed his mind. His expression shifted from uncomfortability and fear to something of a sinister stare. 

‘I’m going to hell for this’ he thought, before shifting to a glare, mandibles spreading wide and opening his jaw the full length as he let out an inhuman, deathly scream. 

The Rookie completely panicked, letting out a scream nowhere near as equal in volume to Leons, turning and bolting out of the shop. 

It was an extremely risky move, banking on the hope the Rookie would wait for permission before opening fire on an unknown threat. He was lucky it paid off. Quickly pulling the other leg on, he grabbed a belt, in case he needed it, from a nearby hanger and bolted out the front door where the Rookie exited. Hearing shouts either side of him as the other team members must have rushed to the source of the sound, he dashed up the side of another building, jumping into a window as the sound of bullets zipped past him. Not stopping to look back, he bounded away for a few blocks just to be sure he was safe. In an abandoned office he finally let himself stop and catch his breath. Leaning against a wall, he puffed for a minute or two.

Despite trying to hide it, a smile broke out across his face as he started to laugh, gently at first before he broke out into heaving for breaths as he couldn't control himself, lifting an arm across his face as he sunk to the floor. He felt so guilty, but the look on the Rookie’s face was priceless. 

His laughter was interrupted as it turned to violent coughing. Something had built up in his throat, and he heaved as his body tried to get it out. It had the consistency of phlegm but was a much darker colour, it reminded him of the slime that came out of the cocoon with him. Wiping his mouth and taking a few deep breaths to make sure he was okay, he smiled again. His laugh sounded normal, maybe his voice would come back too with time.  
He moved over to a window overlooking the main street outside, he could see the building where Sherry said Simmons would be. He had to get there, that was his only lead of meeting up with anyone or at least getting to Simmons before he had a chance to cause the world any more damage.


	3. Ada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me: Hey everyone Ada is here!  
> My Audience: _Raucous cheering and screaming._

Perched atop a building, he scanned the area below. As he was making his way towards the area where Simmons should be, he had heard gunfire. Despite his grizzly appearance, if someone was in trouble he could still find a way to help, surely. A street facing door was suddenly kicked open and a figure stumbled out, with a crossbow of all things in their hands. 

‘No. Way.’ he thought as he carefully descended from the roof, wanting to get a clearer look. 

The survivor fired a shot at something inside the building, before ducking back. A small explosion occurred and a BOW, screaming and flailing stumbled out. It was more grotesque than the other C-Virus monstrosities he’d seen so far, and it looked like it had a chainsaw for an arm. It screamed in agony while the survivor readied another shot. Carefully maneuvering himself behind some rubble, the light from another small explosion from the crossbow’s bolt illuminated the survivors face for a brief moment, fully confirming his suspicions. 

It was Ada, for sure. At least he thought so. She was wearing the same clothes as when he and Helena saw her in the catacombs. The mystery was still there however; which one was the real Ada Wong? Was there even a singular one? Was she just switching outfits and motives in some twisted game?

Flicking a glance back in her direction, she was staring down at the body of the BOW lying smoking on the floor, inert. He shuffled, ever so carefully, avoiding making any noise so he could tactically reposition to try and make contact. He stiffened as he felt the vibration of rubble shift under his foot, a small amount of dirt and rocks crumbling. 

“Now what do we have here.”

Hoping if he kept still enough, she’d think no one was there, he held his breath. His heart rate increased as he heard the soft clack of her boots on the concrete approaching at a gentle pace, a bolt being loaded. No time to think.

Placing his hands on the ground, crouching back, he launched himself over the rubble, ignoring the sound of a bolt whizzing just past his ear. Spotting a broken window one floor up a building, he leapt into it and backed up against the wall panting, just as another bolt narrowly missed its mark.

“Honey I didn’t have the time to deal with this overly enthusiastic fellow,”

He heard the sound of another bolt being loaded.

“So how about you help a girl out and make this quick and easy for both of us.”

The ‘thwip’ of a bolt pierced the air and one landed on the other side of the room. It bounced off the wall, fell to the floor and rolled slowly towards him. The head of the bolt looked large and blunt and had a small blinking red LED. He didn’t need to guess what it meant as the rate increased, and the bolt exploded in a flash of light and smoke. 

Ada stared at the cloud billowing out of the window, preparing another round for good measure. Her eyes narrowed as a few seconds passed, with no movement. She raised her weapon and aimed at where the window was, but it was barely visible now as the smoke had spread. 

Suddenly the creature leapt through the smoke with frightening speed, grabbing her arm and pushing it away as she shot the loaded bolt in a random direction. It ripped the crossbow out of her arm and backed up as she spun around to face it, reaching for her holster. 

Feeling nothing, her eyes widened as she noticed it was holding her handgun and crossbow. It tossed the bow aside gently, and with elegance she’d never seen from a BOW removed the magazine from the gun and dropped both parts either side of it. It maintained eye contact with her the entire time, its eyes were piercing and displayed a terrifying degree of human intelligence.

Covering up the fear in her head, she smiled.

“I can’t say I’ve ever met a man who’s tried _this_ hard to get my attention.”

She started to pace slowly around as she drew a knife from her belt, the creature mimicked her pace as they circled. 

It began to raise its arms, she dove in with the knife and test jabbed to check its reflexes. It was fast, faster than her. 

Her expression turned stern. It backed up a few paces, eyes focused on her as she furiously walked closer brandishing the knife.

“I’m a very, busy, woman.” she grunted while slashing. “And I don’t, have the time, for stalkers.”

Whatever the hell she was dealing with, it clearly knew the basics of CQC. Dancing and ducking around her every swing and jab, although it made no attempt to hit her back. Suddenly its eyes flicked to something behind her, a distraction and an opening. She thrusted the knife forward but something grabbed her by the ankle and almost toppled her, one hand slamming into the ground, the other with the knife at the ready. Flicking her head to the source, the charred and burnt BOW with the chainsaw arm simply refused to die, and it had a vice grip around her right ankle. The sound of bone and flesh grinding louder and louder as it lifted its twisted machination of a chainsaw arm up as the teeth and bone started spinning again. 

She looked back to the creature in front of her only to find it gone, suddenly turning back to the one grabbing her ankle, her eyes widened as she saw the second creature holding the chainsaw-arm back, with one foot on the BOW’s back. The charred living corpse let out a chilling howl as the creature pinning it down pulled its arm further back, dislocating the mutated tendons and bone, ripping muscle. The bone-tooth blade stopped spinning and the vice grip loosened. Ada sprung back up and turned around to face the creature that by all intends, spared her. It was panting while staring at the charred corpse, seemingly ensuring it was truly dead this time. She took the opportunity and sprung towards it, holding the knife in both hands.

At almost the last second before the knife hit its chest it flung one arm up to push hers back, and grabbed one of her wrists with its other, stopping her completely in her tracks. She grimaced and stared up at its face, meeting its eyes. There was almost a pleading look to them. Its grip on her wrist was firm, but not painful, she kept the knife pointed at its chest but shifted her weight so not as much force was pushing her into its arms. Despite the overcast sky, a small break in the clouds shifted and moonlight illuminated the scene and the creature's face. That’s when she noticed its unmistakable hair, the soft blue eyes. The fact it didn’t even lay a scratch on her. 

“...Leon?”

His face softened and the concern was replaced with the beginnings of a warm smile, he loosened his grip on her arms and started to relax-

Her knee struck his stomach with frightening force, he stumbled back with a grunt.

“That’s for almost breaking my crossbow.”

He smiled slightly as he cocked his head to one side, probably deserved that. He gently collected her sidearm and magazine, grateful to find out despite his hands shifting he was still able to comfortably reload the gun with ease. She collected her crossbow, a pleased smile graced her face as she examined it and found it was not damaged.

“So, cat got your tongue?” her playful tone hid a mixture of contradicting emotions. 

She turned back to Leon who had a hand extended, holding her sidearm out. Taking it back, she took a moment to actually look at him. He always ‘stood tall’ around her, she noted he was even taller now and actually towered over her with an air of confidence after managing to disarm her so carefully. It was hard to maintain a certain level of composure, he had hardly changed and the thought was warm but looking at what had happened was painful. His eyes were exactly the same but she could barely return his gaze as she was processing what she was seeing. 

He shuffled slightly, then opened his mouth. Hoping something normal sounding would come out. 

“Aa…” 

The more he tried to force it, the more it hurt his throat. His shoulders shrunk inwards slightly as he turned his head to face away from her, the embarrassment and shame of the situation returning. He didn’t want to face her like this, he was regretting even trying to talk to h-

“Did Simmons do this?”

Giving up the vocal option, he shook his head. He shifted towards a wall, leaning comfortably facing her, with a flick of the wrist he pointed a finger briefly towards her, then folded his arms.

“... It was the bitch in the blue dress, wasn’t it.”

He tilted his head to one side slightly, his expression stern. 

“After everything I’ve seen, it’d be pretty cold of me to just say ‘it’s complicated’ don’t you think?” she joked with a forced smile.

No one was laughing. Leon had a very high level of tolerance for her usual manner of speaking, cryptic and tangential, not today however. His entire life changed the day they met in Racoon City but this blows that experience well out of the water.

“I don’t know who she is, but Simmons made her using the C-Virus. Starting off as a bootleg version of me but it seems like she’s got big plans of her own now.”

His stare was piercing. 

“I’m sorry.” 

His face softened as he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Simmons became… A little too attached to me. I wasn’t interested in playing by his rules, let’s just say he took it a little personally when I didn’t reciprocate his feelings.”

She paced around the courtyard as she spoke.

“I don’t know how he did it, but his obsession resulted in him using the C-Virus to create a very imperfect clone of me. A bootleg Ada Wong if you will.”

Leon snorted in amusement, but he maintained his stance. Closely watching as she stood still and looked back at him.

“I’m not working for Simmons. We’re on the same side, I promise.”

_Then who do you work for?_

The question echoed in his mind. The one time Ada talks with him at length, he can barely say her name. He looked away, frustrated and ashamed of the circumstance. Hearing her walk closer he turned slightly only to feel the warmth of her hand brush up against his cheek, his eyes flicking towards it and back to her as they widened slightly. His arms fell to his side as her other hand gently rested on his arm. Despite the transformation he still felt the temperature of his face increase, not expecting anyone he knew would even be able to accept what happened to him and be so gentle, especially not Ada. 

“I came here to clean up the mess Simmons started but now… Now it’s personal.” 

Her eyes remained locked with his, her expression stern and determined. The more seconds went by the more he feared she’d notice his cheeks blushing slightly, if he was even able to do that anymore. He could feel the warmth in his face and not just from her hand on his cheek. Her expression shifted to a smile and her eyes softened. 

“You know despite how pointy you are, you’re still quite the handsome figure. Maybe more than before.” she teased.

His eyes widened for a second before he snorted slightly and tried to flick his head away, mandibles twitching, looking to the side as she laughed gently and softly ran her hand down his face before stepping away. He stooped over slightly, folded his arms once again and attempted to use the longer side of his fringe to hide his face in embarrassment. 

She caught his attention again as she spoke up from a few meters down the street from where they were.

“I’ve held you up long enough, I’m sure you’ve got unfinished business to attend to.”

She beckoned him over to an alleyway next to where she was standing. Willing himself to regain some composure, he quickly walked over to join her. 

“If you take this route it cuts through the block, the building where Simmon’s will be at is just a bit further on the train line, you’ll figure it out.”

She smiled at him as he raised an eyebrow quizzically. Of course she knew what he was doing and where he was trying to get to. She always knew. 

He smiled back at her, eyes glistening with renewed energy. He radiated the same old confidence and warmth he always did despite everything. She watched as he comfortably strided past her and into the alley, surprised at how comfortable he’d become so quickly given the changes. Before he’d gotten too far she called out.

“And Leon?”

He turned to face her.

“Be careful out there ok?”

He smirked and flicked his hand up, giving her a thumbs-up before slipping into the shadow of the alleyway.


	4. The Train - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the angst express!

Helena carefully and quietly opened a door on the left side of the building, leading to an area left under construction. She could hear the murmur of conversation on a floor above her, but it was drowned out by the flash of lights and rumbling as a train sped past the open back wall of the building. Peering out from behind a stack of boxes, she grimaced as she spotted the typical pristine white suit Simmons regularly sported. Overflowing with rage, she stormed out into the open floor and raised her weapon towards him as he stood on the concrete floor above her.

“Simmons you son of a bitch!”

He hardly seemed phased upon hearing her voice cry out, and slowly turned around with a bemused expression as around half a dozen armed security personnel rushed to aim submachine guns back at Helena in retaliation.

“Well this is unexpected.”

His mouth tweaked at its edges, a sinister smirk appeared as he noted that Helena was alone.

The creak of a metal door opposite where she had entered caught his attention as a young woman and a young man appeared through it.

“No, wait!”

Slamming the door open fully, Sherry rushed into the open space with Jake following close behind. Confusion crossed her face as she looked from Helena to Simmons and his entourage of armed men with weapons raised. 

“Ah Agent Birkin. Impeccable timing. Kindly take Agent Harper into custody, won’t you?” Simmons remarked with a cold stare before turning away.

“Leon and her said you were involved in the terrorist attack, is it true?” Sherry responded.

Helena focused her gaze and raised weapon on Simmons, but flicked a glance at Sherry. Her eyes were wide, she was a capable agent but bold and naive to pose such a question.

Simmons paused with his back facing the small group. He let out a short chuckle under his breath, before turning back to face Sherry and responding.

“Well as you can see evidently Agent Kennedy isn’t with us. Now I wonder, Agent Harper, why might that be the case?”

Helena bared her gritted teeth as tears started to well in her eyes and her hands began to shake. 

“You BASTARD this is all your fault! The President, Leon, my SISTER!”

Sherry stared at Helena, a shocked look struck her face.

“Wait what’s going on? What happened to the President and Leon?” she said, looking back and forth at Simmons and Helena.

“The President is dead, Agent Birkin, and we have Agent Kennedy to thank for that. But again, he’s not here, and based on Agent Harper’s reaction I don’t think we’ll be seeing him again.”

“Fuck you Simmons!” 

Helena’s voice and the tears flowing down her cheeks captured Sherry’s focus so much that she barely heard Simmons bark an order to his men.

“Dispose of her.”

Helena bolted out of the way behind a stack of palettes and building materials right as a volley of bullets assaulted where she was standing.

Caught up in the shock and still processing what she’d heard, in a panic Sherry yelled out and began to run forwards. Seeing her bolt towards danger, Jake swiftly grabbed her and pulled her behind the cover with Helena.

After realising what almost transpired, Simmons yelled out in anger.

“Hold your fire! Those two are still of use to us.”

Helena wiped the tears from her eyes as she turned to face the two as the rain of bullets paused. Jake silently stared at her, but with a look of understanding on his face. He had guessed what had happened and had a hand placed on Sherry’s shoulder in comfort. Sherry simply stared at Helena with a look of dread and emptiness.

“Helena, what happened to Leon?”

Not having the heart to tell her the details, Helena stared back as she struggled to find the words. 

“I’m sorry, he’s gone. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She could hardly stare at the young agent as the pain built up in her face as the words sunk in.

Overhearing Simmons say something about not having time to deal with this, Helena pulled her focus back to the situation at hand. Turning to Jake, she motioned to a door across the floor space from them.

“I’ll fill you in with the details later, I promise. Right now you’ve gotta get out of here. Do you think you can make it to that door?”

Jake looked across the open floor with no cover, it was a few meters to run. Do-able, but bullets moved faster than humans.

“Why don’t we just waste them?” he scoffed.

“No, you’ve gotta look after Sherry.”

His face softened as he recognised the weight of everything on Sherry’s mind. She was near silent as she stared at the ground processing everything she had heard.

“Leave Simmons to me.” Helena said.

He knew he didn’t have time to argue that a one-person fight against Simmons and a crew of armed guards was not a very good idea, his priority was making sure Sherry and himself got away unscathed. He chose not to dispute her.

The three of them jerked back into cover as another volley of bullets landed near the open floor, while Simmons called out in a mocking tone.

“Can we wrap this up? I do have better things to do”

Sherry pulled a small item out of her pocket, it resembled an SD card. She grabbed Helena’s hand and pushed it into her palm, looking up at her through tear welled eyes. 

“This has information that could stop the C-Virus. Simmons wants it. Promise me, you’ll be ok?” Sherry’s voice was strained.

“I promise. I’ll handle him. Now move!” Helena readied her weapon.

Without giving her more time to think, Jake grabbed Sherry and bolted for the door as Helena rushed out in front and fired some shots towards the guards protecting Simmons to ensure their safe escape. Once they were through the door she turned her attention back to Simmons, noticing his men had all turned away from her, instead watching him stumble away towards the open wall of the building.

“Oh you are not getting away from me!” she cursed as she bolted out from cover to pursue him. 

She barely gave a second thought to the concerning fact that he fell from the floor above her onto the roof of a moving train behind the building. Barely even thinking of her own safety, she looked to the left and saw an empty cargo carriage at the very end of the train and leapt onto it just in time as it almost sped past her. She allowed herself a moment to regain her composure after landing, before climbing up onto the roof of the next cabin, fighting the wind and her fears as she proceeded towards the front where she could see Simmons kneeling.

“It’s just you and me now.” she called out into the wind.

As she closed in on Simmons, she could see he had one arm raised holding his communicator. He had his back turned to her, and by the way he slowly moved his arm away and crushed the device in his fist she assumed he’d just gotten off the worst phone call of his career.

Steadying her aim and clearing her throat, Helena confronted him.

“Give it up Simmons, this is the end.”

He slowly turned to face her, an expression of cold rage across his face. She noted the growing spread of dark veins sprouting from a point on his neck stretching across his skin. 

“You still chase me while that woman is on the loose?”

Despite her having a pretty solid guess at who he was referring to, the veins kept spreading on his skin and she needed to know more.

“What woman?”

“That traitor, Ada Wong!” Simmons hissed.

“Who knows what she’s got in store.” he continued with a sinister tone.

“Another team was sent after her, but you Simmons? You’re all mine.” 

Helena’s voice gave away the pain she had bottled up. Simmons noted this and flashed her a twisted smile. 

“Well I suppose that's true Agent harper, but what are you here for? To avenge your sister? The President? Although that was more a personal matter for Agent Kennedy, wasn't it.” 

Helena yelled over the wind.

“ _SHUT UP!_ ”

Simmons stared her down before continuing,

“You fool. You’re all fools. If the President had disclosed the truth behind Racoon City, the U.S. would have lost all its authority, and the global political order would have collapsed!” Simmons spat. 

“So to avoid one possible disaster you create another!?” 

Helena flicked the safety off on her handgun.

“No matter how many people die?” her words dripped with fury.

“He had to be stopped!” Simmons yelled back, “He was leading my country, and this world into complete chaos!” 

He barely managed to speak the last few words as he groaned in pain and gripped his neck, hunching over. 

“That woman… How dare she do this to me!” he growled under his breath.

Flicking his head to the sky and his arms out to the side, Simmons let out a scream almost inhuman as he fell to his knees as his body burst into flames. 

Helena had to step back from the intense heat and embers, and watched as Simmons skin twisted and teared and split apart. As the flames receded he stood to reveal a human silhouette but shifted and contorted, spikes protruding from splits in the skin, carapace forming and exposed muscle. Again, he began to scream.

His face split open in half as muscle, sinew blood and bones shifted, before his whole body seemed to turn in on itself and expand, grow, twist. As the transformation slowed Helena was able to comprehend the form of the Thing that was supposed to be Simmons. His body had mutated into some kind of bastardised feline form the size of a car, barely fitting on top of the train roof. Bone and carapace had stiffened into plates of armor on exposed muscle and soft tissue. The Simmons-thing let out a roar before charging at Helena, she instinctively fired a few rounds towards its face, the armor made for a strong defence but there was enough exposed tissue that some bullets hit their mark and buried themselves in the soft flesh. Screeching in pain, the creature leapt over her and skidded as it landed, almost tripping over. It slashed the roof with its talons before charging towards her yet again. Aiming for the same fleshy spot on its neck where she could still see some bleeding from her previous shots, she fired again and ducked out of the way at the last minute as the creature stumbled, fell and rolled towards the front of the train. Steam burst from its body as the flesh and bone twisted and shifted once again to reveal the fragile frame of Simmons' human self left behind lying on the ground panting.

Seizing the opportunity to gain some distance between him and herself before he transformed again, Helena pulled open an emergency access hatch on the carriage roof and jumped inside. Bolting towards the next carriage down the train as she heard the garbled, shifted voice of Simmon’s cry out behind her.

“ _Damn you! _I’ll kill you with my _bare hands!_ ”__

__Just as she reached the door the entire train moved and she was knocked off her feet. Glancing behind her she saw the source of it as the Simmons-thing had ripped open part of the roof, like peeling the lid off a tin-can and had slammed itself into the floor of her carriage._ _

__Pushing herself back onto her feet, she flicked her arm to blind aim towards Simmons to buy some time while she went to open the door handle to gain access to the next carriage._ _

___‘Click, click, click.’_ _ _

__She hadn’t been counting and the magazine was empty._ _

__“Ah fuckkkkk.” she muttered as she heard what sounded like laughter mixed with a growl behind her, followed by heavy footsteps._ _

__Holstering the pistol she focused full attention on the door, using her weight to push it open faster against the air pressure outside. She slammed it closed just in time before a heavy impact pushed the metal towards her in a bulge in the door. She frantically pushed open the next door and climbed inside, slamming it shut behind her as well. Bolting down to the end of the carriage, she took a moment to load a new magazine. She steeled herself for the inevitable, waiting for the Simmons-thing to smash open the end of this carriage or break through the roof._ _

__A few seconds passed and nothing happened. She began to look around through the windows, outside. The train continued to speed along its path. No footsteps, no screaming or growling, nothing._ _

__Before she had much more time to think about it, the glass window at the opposite end smashed open as a volley of bone shards shot in out of nowhere. The trajectory shifted and flicked in her direction. She leapt forward and slammed into the ground before a rain of glass chunks fell onto her. Brushing them off she shot up again and took a glance out the window. The Simmons-beast was matching the speed of the train, bolting alongside it. He had changed again, instead of the cat-like face, the neck had extended upwards in a snake like fashion. Organs that appeared to be lungs covered by bony plates along with long protruding ribs extended up towards the surprisingly human looking face that appeared to split open before rapid firing more deadly shards of bone into the carriage._ _

__During a break in the fire, she carefully aimed through one of the broken windows and took a few shots straight at its head and lungs. The Simmons-thing screamed in pain and leapt out of her view. Taking the opportunity she jumped on one of the chairs and opened the emergency roof hatch, using the seat and hand rails to climb back onto the roof. Simmons was there looking human again, one knee on the roof. He stood up as he noticed her and sneered._ _

__“ _I will kill you. You’re all alone Agent Harper. You have no one left. Leon can’t help you anymore._ ”_ _

__“Doesn’t seem like there’s anyone left for you either, Simmons.” she retorted, reloading a new magazine._ _

__During the commotion neither party noticed another train on the adjacent track line was moving at a faster speed approaching them. A creature was climbing across the roof of the carriages, intently watching the fight about to unfold as its train fast approached being parallel with Helena and the Simmons-thing._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to break up this segment of the story into two parts, Chapter 5 shouldn't be too far away as a result. I made a promo illustration that ties in with this for my tumblr (@ prettyflyshyguy) if you have an account there, I post a lot of drawings associated with the AU when I get the chance in-between work. Hope you enjoyed this one!


	5. The Train - Part 2 (Electric Boogaloo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting! Have part 2 since the train segment was so long I had to break it up. My life's been very hectic lately but I'm hoping to get back to frequently working on this fic so I can actually finish it. It was fun to return to it and as always, more shenanigans on my tumblr with the same @

“Only one of us is getting off this train, Agent Harper. I have my Family waiting for me, I don’t think you can say the same about yourself…” 

Simmons’ voice was like venom, and he hissed as three bullets pierced his chest. A deep gurgling laughter erupted from within him as steam poured out of the cracks and splits in his skin as he transformed again. 

Helena began to back up on the roof, slowly and carefully as the train began to swing left on the tracks. She noticed a second train to the left, moving faster than hers. She froze, eyes fixated on the figure of some other twisted creature, crawling on the roof as its train passed. It was looking straight at her. 

_‘Christ, not another one.’_ she thought.

Her attention snapped back to Simmons as she noticed in the corner of her eye that his neck had extended again, face glaring at her before it split open to form a number of tendrils that began to fick around. Shards of bone began firing on the carriage roof near the Simmons-things feet, before slowly moving towards where Helena stood at an increasing pace. She spun around and bolted further down the train, leaping over a gap between the carriages before screeching to a halt. She was at the back of the train and had nowhere left to go. Turning around to face Simmons, she stumbled as a volley of shards hit the roof just before her. She fell backwards and landed hard, one hand slipping off the front of the train while the other gripped the corrugated surface. Glancing up as the Simmons-thing, she saw it begin to wind up for another barrage as it edged closer to her. Hastily jumping onto her hands and knees, she yelled out as more shards landed horrifyingly close to her hands and she slipped off the side, gripping the railing as the rest of her body fell. Fighting the wind, her knuckles white, she tried to pull herself up, looking in horror at the Simmons-thing, watching it laugh as it approached her. Then she saw the Other creature bolting towards them on the roof of their train.

_**“sssSSSIMMONSSSSSssssss!!”** _

A thunderous yell caught the Simmons-thing’s attention, and it turned just as the new creature leapt into the air and slammed itself into Simmons-thing’s face. It writhed and screamed, trying to shake the new foe off, to no avail. Helena’s hands began to slip, her grip loosened slightly against her will, the speed of the train and the wind battered her as she watched the Simmons-beast take punches, kicks and claws to the face and lungs on its freakish neck. 

Blood sprayed, bone shards flew off into the wind, the sounds of screaming and wailing echoed. As she could only watch, deep in the back of her mind a small question formed. 

_‘Is that thing wearing pants?’_

It wasn't a Ja’vo, but it was definitely some kind of c-virus infected monstrosity all the same. At least it was pummeling Simmons and not her. Not that it mattered much given she couldn’t hold on forever. The only thing stopping her was the tips of her fingers, but they slowly began to slide off the smooth railing.

The train took a swerve to the right, the impact of the wind slipped under her and her hands gave way. She cried out in fear and shock. The impact of her body on the ground at this speed would result in instant death. There was nothing she could do. She closed her eyes and waited for the sharp impact to hit. 

“I’m so sorry, Deborah…” she whispered into the wind.

_**“HELENA!!”** _

Her eyes shot open at the sound of her name. It sounded eerily familiar, but it wasn’t coming from Simmons. Something had grabbed her arm, it was firm and strangely reassuring. In shock she looked up at the source. The thing that had attacked Simmons was leaning out, its other arm tightly gripping the rail on the train's roof for stability. It wasn’t going to let her fall. Her mind raced, it knew her name, it was fighting Simmons, it was saving her life. 

There was only one person that it could reasonably be, right here and right now.

She flung her other arm up to grip his, he carefully pulled her back onto the roof.

For a moment she looked at his face, his eyes were the same, soft blue. She caught her breath and said,

_“Leon?”_

He nodded and began to smile, but was interrupted by the sound of warbled laughter. The two agents stood up, helping stabilise each other as the train suddenly jerked and wobbled on the tracks as it hurtled around a corner. Their attention returned to the reason they were both here.

Simmons had transformed back to his more human-resembling self, but his limbs twitched and shifted as he stared back with malice in his eyes. 

“What a touching reunion. I see the bitch got to you too Agent Kennedy.”

His twisted laughter only deepened as Leon raised one arm slowly, and flipped him off.

“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?”

Leon quickly glanced at Helena, she recognised the frustration in his face. Something must have busted up his throat. Despite the short time knowing him, she very well knew he wouldnt be so quiet out of choice. She raised her weapon back to the matter at hand and said,

“You’ve talked enough for a lifetime Simmons, let’s settle this!”

Simmons bared his teeth before his face began to split, and yet again he transformed. It was slower this time however, he seemed to be struggling. 

“You... have no idea… what would happen if I die!” 

His voice warbled and shifted alongside his body, seemingly out of control. His neck and face extended and split open as he let out an inhuman scream before slamming one arm into the roof of the train, dislodging a panel. He slapped it into the air and with a swift move sent it hurtling towards Leon and Helena, while his body writhed and shifted. 

In the split seconds as the metal approached the two agents, Leon slid himself in front of Helena and flung his arms upwards as the panel spun towards him, claws grinding on the metal as he pushed it upwards and behind. He crouched down to give Helena line of sight as the panel narrowly missed her head. She didn’t even flinch as she pulled the trigger and fired a single shot straight into the forehead of Simmons. 

Blood splattered from the insertion point as he screamed and writhed, barely keeping his grip on the train roof. Steam shooting from his body as he coughed up blood. A spotlight flashed across the train, glossing past Leon and Helena and instead focusing on Simmons, his face turned towards the source of the light. Helena raised her weapon towards the helicopter but the glare prevented her from identifying it as friend or foe. After a few seconds the helicopter turned away and flew off back towards the city, Simmons screamed out after it in agony.

_“No! How could my Family abandon me!?”_

His fleet slipped and the weight of his mutated body pulled him down the front of the train, grinding against the rails. The impact dislodged the wheels and the train began to skid along the bridge, carriage after carriage breaking free and beginning to dangerously zig-zag together. Helena grabbed Leon's arm and started running back along the train as the front carriage became more and more dislodged. 

“JUMP!” she cried out before taking a leap of faith off the carriage, flying towards the open water of the bay below. 

Hitting the water like a ton of bricks, the impact was sharp and knocked the wind out of her. The cold and dark was overwhelming, but she fought the heavy drag of her clothes and shoes and pushed herself up as her lungs burned. Breaking the water she gulped in air, arms aching as she pushed against her own weight to keep her head above water. Seeing helicopters flying towards the burning, half sunk train and the commotion, adrenaline kicked in.

“Leon! LEON!!” 

The water bubbled a few meters in front of her and his head broke the surface, coughing and spluttering uncontrollably. 

“Shit Leon are you OK?”

She paddled towards him, giving him a firm slap to the back to help loosen whatever was stuck in his throat. He spat out a mix of water and a dark coagulated looking substance, before wheezing as he caught his breath. 

“C’mon, we need to get out of here.” 

\--

Helena pushed herself up on the concrete dock with the last of her energy, water cascading and dripping down as she pulled the rest of her body out of the water. The swim wasn’t a short one, however having clothing weighing her down had been physically exerting. Leon followed close behind, reaching out with one arm to rest on the dock, floating in the water as he breathed heavily. Sounds floated by them on the still air, the chatter of radio comms and the sounds of someone gently requesting compliance over a megaphone. Snippets could be heard, they were at least a street away, thankfully. By the sounds of things it was BSAA agents evacuating civilians. The city had seen better days.

Helena outstretched an arm towards Leon. His breathing had calmed by now, he grabbed her arm in return and she helped hoist him up. They sat next to each other on the dock, listening to the distant sound of sirens, glad to be out of the water. Helena was the first to break the silence.

“Is it over?” she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Simmons was gone, and judging by his last words he took any nefarious plots to the grave. Leon smiled at her, she found comfort in it. Despite the changes, despite everything, they’d somehow ended up fighting by each other's side again. He nodded firmly. 

“Thank god.” Helena sighed.

They watched as a fleet of helicopters circled the wreck of the train, now barely visible above the waterline. Helena took the moment to properly look at him. The last time she’d seen him he was on fire. Literally. He was sitting resting his elbows on his thighs, hunched over slightly staring out at the water, seemingly lost in thought. His feet dangled in the water still, she was surprised how much he’d retained of himself when compared to what happened to Simmons. 

“So did something happen to your throat? I know we’ve only really known each other for two days but you don’t strike me as the silent type.”

He looked back at her with a pained smile, during the encounter with Simmons it was hard enough to even call out her name, let alone say a sentence. He pulled his lips back, sticking out his tongue for a moment in a display of frustration, pointing to the back of his mouth, attempting to indicate how dry and painful it still felt, though it was starting to ease up now. She smiled in response, it was strange seeing him pull a face. He’d only ever frowned or scowled or brooded before, always so serious. 

_“Helena, are you there? I’ve been trying to get a hold of Leon but he’s not answering.”_

Hunnigan’s voice in Helena’s earpiece broke the conversation, she raised a hand to click on the microphone button while looking over to Leon. He shrugged back at her and appeared to mouth ‘what’ with a questioning look. He’d lost his earpiece and communicator, he’d have to deal with the one sided conversation for the moment.

“Hunnigan hey, yeah, sorry, uh yeah he’s with me, his equipment got … damaged…” she gritted her teeth while giving him an apologetic look. 

_“Damaged? Is everything ok?”_

Helena started at Leon. The look on her face gave away the conversation topic immediately, and he began waving his arms in front of him in a motion that indicated ‘stop’ with a horrified expression.

“Yep he’s fine, it’s fine, I’ll fill you in later. What’s going on?”

She watched him turn around, hands on his head, scrunching them into his hair as he stared at the water, groaning slightly. 

_“We have a situation, Sherry and her companion were abducted. Our satellite places them at an undersea oil field, about eighty miles from you.”_

“Abducted?! By who??”

Leon’s attention snapped back to Helena and he stared at her intently, mouth open slightly as she raised her hand and lifted a finger to indicate she needed a minute.

“Oh shit the files! One sec Hunnigan.” 

Leon’s brow furrowed as she pulled the small card Sherry gave her from her pocket, plugging it into her communicator. She held it out so Leon could see and she began flicking through the mass of information contained within it.

Leon tapped the screen after a minute, pointing to a specific paragraph of text.

“The key to stopping the C-Virus… That guy that was with her, it's Jake!” 

She looked at Leon with a horrified stare. He shook his head slightly and raised his shoulders in confusion.

“Oh my god, sorry, it’s Sherry and Jake they’re-”

_“Helena?”_ Hunnigan’s voice in her ear pulled Helena’s attention away.

“Hunnigan! Are there any other BSAA units nearby?”

_“Let me check, hold on.”_

Helena stood there, eyes locked on the floor awaiting a response. If Jake was the key to stopping this, they had to figure out a way to get them back and fast. 

_“I’ve got a Chris Redfield on the line, patching you in.”_

Her stomach sank. At least she could trust him, but after what he’d been through…

_“Helena?! Where are you?”_

“We’re just outside of Tatchi, why what’s happened?”

Leon gently gripped Helena’s arm, tugging slightly. She turned around and noticed his arm pointing up into the sky. A bright burning light was ripping through the clouds, heading straight towards their area of the city. Unmistakably a missile.

_“We? Who are- never mind just get the hell out of there!!”_

By the time his voice had registered in her mind the missile had found its mark, smashing into the side of a building a few kilometers away. It was hard to tell, but from the distance they were at there appeared to be a thick smoke billowing out from the explosion, engulfing buildings as it spilled into the streets. Helena and Leon rushed up the stairs of the small pier, to a path overlooking the city streets. The cloud had travelled fast and could be seen a mere few blocks away, but the chaos of the civilians running for cover was almost worse. The local military and BSAA units were screaming and firing their weapons into the encroaching darkness as figures of people rushed out from it, the familiar behaviour of rabid zombies.

_“Helena? Helena are you alright?”_

Bring a shaky hand up to her ear, Helena responded.

“Yeah, we’re alright. But things just got pretty crazy down here.”


End file.
